Dinners 12-13

 Slow Cooker Italian Tortellini Soup- super easy

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 medium zucchini, halved, cut into 1-inch slices

2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans ready-to-serve vegetable or chicken broth

1 (28-oz.) can crushed or diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15.5-oz.) can great northern beans, drained, rinsed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves(Fresh works as well, just add it when you add the pasta)

1 (8-oz.) pkg. uncooked dry cheese-filled tortellini (I think dried tortellini is a bit gross so I used the fresh kind by Boutini.  I stuck it in an hour before we ate dinner.  Probably could have been a half hour. Depends on your cooker)

In 4 to 6-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients except basil and tortellini; mix well.

Cover; cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours. (I did mine on high for 4 hours.  I was short on time)

About 20 minutes before serving, stir basil and tortellini into stew. Increase heat setting to high; cover and cook an additional 20 minutes or until tortellini are tender.

My friend had said she wanted to see some Vegetarian meals.  This was one of them.  It turned out much better than I thought it would.  I was sceptical at first.  I made some Italian bread to go with it.  We sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese.  We all liked it.  You could also add some oregano and garlic in it for even more flavor.

Mongolian Beef- a lot like PF Chang's-involved a bit, but way yummy!

• 4 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. ginger, minced
• 2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1 c. soy sauce
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. brown sugar (packed)
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 2 Lb. flank steaks (ask your butcher to cut it into strips for you.  May save some time)
• ½ c. cornstarch
• 3 large green onions

• Make the sauce by heating 4 tsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.

• Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in a wok (or skillet). Heat the oil over medium heat until its hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Stir the meat around a little bit so that it cooks evenly.

• After a few minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour most of the oil out of the skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce, cook for 1 minute while stirring and add green onions. Cook for 1 more minute. Now at this point you can either remove the beef with a slotted spoon or tongs and discard the sauce (this is what P.F. Chang's does) OR thicken the sauce with a cornstarch-water mixture (about a 1 Tbsp-1 Tbsp ratio) to desired thickness and serve it over rice with the beef.

When I started making this Noah came into the kitchen and asked what the wonderful smell was.  He stayed in the kitchen the rest of the time smelling all the different components to this dish.  When it was all finished and he took a bite he said it was AMAZING!  It was good.  It is a process and it does make a mess in the kitchen, but it was worth it. Just plan it for an easy night.